Chapter Five

 

 

CHAPTER FIVE

    Simon crept low on his belly, his enhanced sense of smell and hearing letting him pick up the faintest of sounds. He heard scuffling ahead; some small prey creature was rustling around in the bushes. He tried to pinpoint his target, scanning the ground, eyes flicking back and forth, trying to make out his prey. Spotting it, he leapt, landing on top of the mouse and flicking it in to the air with his paw. It landed, stunned, and he quickly leapt to it and killed it with a swift bite.
    He was exhilarated; he had caught his first prey! He had expected his first time hunting to be with a gun, maybe a bow, but as a fox? But he also felt sorry for the creature, wishing it well in the afterlife.
    “Nice job!” Kira said, trotting up to him.
    “Maybe, but how does this help me kill this ‘Cerberus’ thing?” Simon asked.
    “Well, you’ve got to know how to hunt,” Kira said.
    “Yes, but killing a mouse is easier than killing this demon creature!” Simon protested.
    “Look, if you’re so intent on actually fighting, fine, but you have to know how to be stealthy and stuff, too!” Kira said grumpily.
    “I can be stealthy, I just want to learn how to fight.”
    “Alright, alright…”

    Simon angled to the left as he saw Kira sway slightly, hitting her full on as she tried to dodge. They wrestled and rolled around on the soft, mossy ground. Kira relaxed, panting as Simon pinned her down with a forepaw.
    “Alright, you win that one, but that’s nothing compared to defeating Cerberus.”
    “Why must you put a negative spin on everything?” Simon asked impatiently. “You’re just upset because I won.”
    “You shouldn’t fool yourself when it’s a matter of life or death.” Kira said, getting up and shaking the dust from her fur.
    “Well let’s not waste time talking, then.” Simon said, running at Kira, his paws kicking up chunks of brown and green earth as he skidded and turned to the side as Kira dodged. He ran after her as she turned, taking him by surprise and kicking him away as he jumped at her. Simon got up, spinning around in time to meet her as she leapt at him.     Simon twisted out from under her paws, tripping her and standing over her, panting.
    “Good,” Kira said, panting, “But not good enough!” she cried, kicking at Simon and twisting out from under him.

Chapter Four

 

 CHAPTER FOUR

    “You could at least stop moping around and help me hunt!” Kira said crossly, trotting up to Simon with a snake in her mouth.
    “I’m not hungry…” Simon said, turning away.
    Kira sighed, “Look, you can make the best of it or mope around all day--”.
Just then a flash of golden light emerged from a clearing, and as the light faded, Simon could see the form of a lynx, golden fur glowing brightly. Wherever the lynx stepped, a golden glow emanated, and plants and flowers sprung up in her wake.
    “Liru!” Kira gasped, bowing down as the lynx approached.
    Liru sighed gravely, “Daien wishes me to ask you, Simon -- a battle to the death with the demon creature, Cerberus. To lose -- the curse is broken by death. To win -- the curse is lifted by Daien. I should not let my pleading bias you, but I urge you to say no.”
    “Cerberus!” Kira gasped, still bowing.
    “I…” Simon gulped, intimidated by the god standing before him, “I….”
    What should he do? Whatever this Cerberus was, it sounded bad. But then, he thought, is staying alive worth it if you were destined to be killed by your uncle or live the rest of your life as a fox? But maybe it was. Life as a human, death as a human, life as a fox, death as a fox. What should he do?
    He thought back to when he was a human and he missed those days, even though he had been a fox for a very short time. Even though he still hesitated, he knew what his answer would be.
    “I,” He looked around nervously, then said, in a low voice, “I accept.”
    “What?!” Kira burst out, disbelief in her voice.
    The lynx goddess just looked down with a sigh. “Three days at noon, in the field to the east of here,” she said, before disappearing into thin air in a flash of light.
    “What?! ARE YOU INSANE?!” Kira shouted. “That beast would crush you in an instant! You’d be dead before it even touched you.”
    “Either way, this curse is lifted.”
    “But,  but, you don’t even know how to hunt! You’re barely more than a kit,” she spluttered.
    “I’ll learn how to hunt. I’ll learn how to fight. I’d die anyway, if my uncle shoots me or not - this way I have a chance of dying as a human -- at a reasonable age, seventy or eighty years old, not thirteen.”
    Kira groaned, “you are mad,  you are suicidal, you are foolish,  you are rash, you are stupid and you are idiotic! And damn it! Now my lunch has slithered away.” She sat down, growling grouchily.
    “Well, I liked it as a human better than as a stupid fox out here! Eating mice and frogs” He grumbled. “Now you could help or sit there whining all day!”
    “How would I help?” Kira asked, “I’m not stupid!”
    “Well just help me learn how to fight and hunt or something!” Simon said, swishing his blue-grey

Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

    “You shouldn’t have done it!” Liru growled at Daien. “The poor creature, depressed, sad.”
    “And his uncle, too.” Daien said, “That is the point.”
    “Break the curse! Don’t make him suffer!” Liru pleaded.
    “If he is worthy.” Daien replied, the black fox looking down at Simon.
    “If he is worthy of what?” Liru asked.
    “If he can de-- What?!” Daien spluttered, outraged, “You sent that little rat Kira down there, didn’t you?!” He turned towards Liru, as, far down below, Kira walked up to Simon, a snake dangling from her mouth.
    “You shouldn’t mess with the lives of mortals, Daien.” Liru said calmly.
    “Neither should you!” Daien spat.
    “You were saying? Worthy of what?” Liru asked, changing the subject
    “If he can defeat Cerberus…” Daien said softly.
    “What? Never! That horrid beast should be locked up forever and never fed or let out - ever!” Liru said,  “None could defeat it!”
    “Tut tut, never say never, my dear,” Daien scolded in a teasing tone. “Anyway, it would grant him his wish. Go to the Other Realms as a human if he loses - or live as a human if he wins.”
    “If he accepts the challenge. If he doesn’t I don’t care, it’ll let him live and spoil your fun,” Liru glared.
    “If he lives I will lift the curse,” Daien said. “I’m not completely acting in self-interest.”
    “Pha!” Liru said, “But if he does accept, though only a fool would,” she added in a mutter, “you must promise to break the curse. Promise by your honor and place as a god.”
    Daien looked slightly worried, but he hid it well, as he nodded. Strands of gold and blue magic wound around both of them.

Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

    Simon yawned and opened his eyes.
    “I had the weirdest dream,” he muttered, still half asleep. But instead of seeing the walls of his uncle’s cabin, or the furs on the walls, or even his uncle sitting there beside him, he saw giant trees and leaves crumpled underneath him as he got up.
    “Wha…?” Maybe he was still in a dream.
    Simon looked up and a magpie took flight above him. Everything seemed… huge! He looked down, but instead of feet….
    Simon yelled in surprise, but it sounded more like a yelp. This must be a dream! This has to be a dream! He turned around, looking all around.
    “What? I….?” He was confused. He looked up in the trees as a squirrel threw a branch at him, chattering all the while. Missing him, the twig splashed down next to him in a puddle.
    Simon instinctively leapt back, as the squirrel ran off through the treetops, chattering and swearing at him until he couldn‘t hear it anymore. Simon leaned over the puddle, to see what the squirrel had thrown at him, but instead he saw himself … but it wasn’t him! Simon gaped.
    “I can’t be,” he said, looking back at his feet. But they weren’t feet or hands, they were paws. Blue-black paws, with long black claws. He dared to look back into the puddle, but staring out at him, like before, was the face of a fox. Blue-black fur and yellow eyes.
    Simon panicked a little then; this had to be a dream, what else would it be? He backed away from the puddle. He was scared, but he was also fascinated. He could hear better, and smell things better.
    “So Liru couldn’t change his mind.”
    Simon swung around, heart thumping.
    A yellowish tan fox sat behind him, watching him calmly with pale yellow eyes.
    “Who?  What? Where am I?!” Simon asked, ears flattening.
    “Shush. You’re name is Simon, am I right? I’m Kira.”
    “How did you-,” he asked, but was cut off.
    “I will explain,” The fox said. “But right now you must eat.” The fox motioned to two dead mice by her paws.
    “What?! I’m not eating that!” Simon said in disgust.
    “You’ll go hungry then,” Kira said, picking up one of the mice and flipping it into her mouth, eating it whole.
    Simon had to try and not vomit. “Please just tell me what is going on,” he gasped.
    “Eat the mouse.” Kira said, licking her chops. “It’s not really that bad.”
    Simon stepped forward, and took a small bite of the mouse, chewing it carefully.
    “It’s kinda gamey… and stringy… and furry!” he said with disgust.
    “You get used to it. It’s about the only thing you can catch out here as a fox. Aside from the occasional rabbit or sparrow, but they’re much more furry.” Kira mused.
    “Just tell me where I am, what I am and why, please!” Simon begged, almost gagging as he tried to swallow his bite of mouse.
    “Well, where and what is easy. Why -- not so much,” Kira said. “Eat the rest of that mouse and I’ll try to explain.
    “First of all, your in a  forest and you’re a fox. A kit could have guessed that.” Kira paused as Simon glared at her angrily while chewing unhappily on the mouse.     “But, why? That’s harder. Well, Daien, the fox god, had a brother who was killed while living in the mortal realms. His brother was, in fact, killed by your uncle. Daien mourned his brother and wanted revenge; he decided not to kill Quill but to kill you, but Liru protested, and Starig said it was unjust and unfair. So Daien got an even better plan, to curse you to be a fox. The curse would only break once Daien wanted it to -- which would be never -- or when you where killed. His hope was that your uncle would shoot you. Either way, Quill would mourn as his favorite nephew was either lost in the woods or killed by his own gun.”
    “Wait, what!? Slow down!” Simon protested, “Starig, Liru, Gods, Daien, Killed, Curse? What?”
    Kira let out an impatient sigh, “There are five gods that rule the woods -  Daien, the black-furred fox god, Liru, the golden-furred lynx goddess, Starig, the oak-furred elk god, Rinna, the black-and-white feathered magpie goddess, and Cela, the grey furred rabbit goddess. Daien’s brother, a demi-god, was foolish and often spent time in the mortal realms, but he wasn‘t careful enough of the dangers. Quill shot him; you’ve no doubt seen Ragen’s pelt hanging on your uncle’s walls.”
    “He, he showed it to me, he was proud of it,” Simon said, eyes wide, forgetting his fear and displeasure for a moment. “But, why me? And who are you?”
    “Daien wanted Quill to suffer, he wanted to kill you, but Liru and Starig forbade it -- you had done no wrong, and you are only a pup. Liru sent me to help you, not wanting Quill to kill you but not being able to convince Daien to change his mind. And that is it.” Kira said.
    “So you’re a demi-god then?” Simon asked.
    “No, I am a guardian. Weaker than a demi-god, stronger than a mortal.”
    “And… I’m stuck like this forever?”
    “Unless there is another way to break the curse, yes,” she said gravely as Simon tried to make sense of it all.